Guided Visualization For The Triathlon

Mental Training

Positive Affirmations and Motivational Messages From RST
Guided Visualization For The Triathlon
Sport Psychology Links

Positive Affirmations and Motivational Messages

Mental preparation and motivation is just as important as physical training, it can have a huge effect on your ability to stay calm, focused, and be able to enjoy the race in the moment, (even the bad moments). Cut and paste the passages that speak to you. Many thanks to the posters on the IMC list, TRI-DRS, and RST for sharing their positive thoughts.

Before a long workout - I always begin with reflecting on how very fortunate I am to have the gift of fitness & endurance, the ability to enjoy a beautiful day outdoors, the sense of accomplishment I'll have when I complete it & the freedom to do something I genuinely enjoy.

The only limitations that exist are the ones you put there and you have the ability to remove them and far exceed your expectations. Don't allow negativity to be a part of your training or your racing. Believe in yourself. One of my goals for the race is to get to through the race without any negative thoughts. I spend a fair amount of time trying to visualize the race and over-coming any negative thoughts that might creep in.

"Argue your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours." Richard Bach

The thing to remember is that your mind is a computer which is constantly being programmed by you every moment of the day - and it is always listening to your thoughts! So be careful what you choose to think, and keep those thoughts (and your language) positive at all times if you want to be running a positive program through your mind on big race days. Remember that human beings use only 1% of their mind's potential - and this means that there is more untapped potential within you than you could possibly imagine! You are basically unlimited, the only limits we have are the ones we put on ourselves. The key lies in the quality of your thoughts - and this means the 'pictures' you fill your mind with all week, and the ongoing inner dialogue that goes on in your mind all day, every day. So here are some questions to ponder: Are you visualizing images of success, or 'horror movies' of failure? Are you constantly boosting yourself up, or tearing yourself down? Do you always focus on the upside, or worry about 'uncontrollables' that you have no power over? Do you worry about your competitors, or imagine that they are worried about you? Are you intending to attack and further a lead you may have, or worry about defending it? Always remember that YOU are the one in control of it all. Craig Townsend

"Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe." Mark Victor
Greatness most often results not from extraordinary ability, but rather from ordinary ability followed through with extraordinary devotion. Commitment, depth of passion and clarity of purpose will elevate even the most ordinary, mundane efforts into the realm of truly great achievement. Exceptional ability is a wonderful gift, though by itself it won't get you very far. More important than ability are desire and commitment. Without them, ability is useless. With them, any shortage of ability can be overcome. Everyone alive has plenty of passion, though too often the true identity of that passion lies hidden. When you make the effort to understand and solidly connect with your passion, the result is an unyielding level of commitment to fulfilling that passion. Whatever your level of ability, it will take you wherever you desire to go when energized with passion and commitment.

“You only get to do this Ironman thing for the first time once. Trust your training, it's a long day that will flash by so very quickly-so celebrate every swim and pedal stroke, every stride on the run. Lee, have a great time, you absolutely will make the cutoffs, you'll be home and I'll hear your finish on the real audio not too long after dark!! Go, Lee, Go!” Kathy Matejka

"It is a great leap of faith you're taking, and the kind that flies in the face of all that logic and common sense we often use to strangle dreams before they get a chance to even see a hint of daylight. It is why you race, it is why we race...and you're going to make it. Enjoy this trip...the highs, the lows, the dark and the lighter moments. You'll have a hell of a time, and any attempt you make to do this will feel far better than the nagging regrets you'd have no answer for in your future if you were to walk away right now. Courage...this is your time to do it." Bob Mina

Many people die with their music still in them…because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out. Oliver Wendell Holmes

….All this leads me back to multisport. Through a series of random and yet intentional progressions, including cross-training to "rest" running injuries, multisport became the tool that completes the feeling I get when I’m out in awe-inspiring landscapes. It is my way to "consummate" my love of nature. I interact with nature in any way possible. I run beneath the forest's canopy, I bike over its rolling hills, and I slice my way through the water that nestles at the feet of those hills. It puts me through great rigor, and with every mile I leave my sweat—and sometimes even a little blood and skin—we, nature and I, become part of one another…. Michael Gerhardt

We develop goals, priorities, and action steps. We feel energized and ready to move full speed ahead. But midway, as our momentum picks up, new thoughts enter our mind. Do I really want this? What if it creates new problems for me? If I reach
this goal, I'll have nothing to look forward to. Being wishy-washy gets us nowhere. These thoughts are the ego's way of looking for obstacles. We acknowledge the doubts and then quickly cast them aside and move forward with complete
conviction, like a warrior. If the goal still feels right, we keep moving ahead. We know in our hearts that doing what we believe in keeps us on the right path. Today I will believe in my goals. Karen Casanova

I remember all the days of hard work and preparation, my constant dream is still alive, to do my best, and the victory will finally be mine.

"The most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." "Triumph is a little umph added to try".

However, underpinning what is not a great time for me is the reassurance and solidity that I have trained very hard for this race. No matter how slow I am, the training, at least in my mind, will be able to emotionally and physically carry me forward.

To all you lucky, lucky, lucky competitors goes all my support and best wishes. Have a great day and when the going gets tough take a minute to remind yourselves that you are competing in one of the greatest single day endurance events on the sporting calendar.

Everyone's a winner there just for showing up and trying. Any finish time the first year is a great time.

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it."
William Arthur Ward

”Our dreams and our aspirations are our invitations to set new goals, attempt new tasks, dare to travel uncharted courses. We each have gifts to offer our fellow travelers, but most frequently need encouragement to recognize our own strengths and talents. Seldom do we rise in the morning fully eager to join in the opportunities that await us. More likely we have to prepare our minds, center our emotional selves, nurture the inner person who may fear the experiences the day promises. It's normal--completely human--to be conscious of our incompetencies while lacking awareness of our abilities. To them we give scant attention, generally blocking out the praise they elicit. To our failings, however small, we compulsively devote our attentive minds. We forget that today's abilities were last year's incompetencies. Achievements today will be many, and they are indications of past dreams. My hopes today guide me toward future achievements. My failings are few and help to keep me on track.” Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg

We wear ourselves out unnecessarily when we spend our energy anticipating the future rather than living in the present. To anticipate bad things is obviously detrimental to our serenity. It is also needless, since most of the things we worry about never happen. Even if some of them do occur, it is easier by far to deal with real disasters than with imagined ones. Anticipating future satisfactions can also be detrimental to our serenity. If we are living for an event or condition which is yet to come, we are not completely alive to what is here now. We may build up some future pleasure in our minds to such an unrealistic pitch that the actual event is bound to be disappointing. Accepting the here and now is what ensures our sanity and our serenity. …It is our anticipation of the future which is unreal and dangerous. May I live today and leave the future to You. Food for Thought by Elisabeth L.

"There are two types of people in the world, some people spend their lives avoiding challenges. Others spend their lives meeting them." Obstacles are what you see, when you take your eyes off of your goals.

Then something hit me...why was I out here? Was it to stop before the adventure was over? To quit before the end and not fulfill that personal obligation I make with myself every time I enter a race to finish? Just take the water stops one at a time...keep running and see what happens. Don't let the distance scare you; run from aid station to aid station.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. Teddy Roosevelt

One thing to add: there will be points in the race where it *seems* like you're having a bad day. Most of these situations turn around though. Its such a long day that there are inevitably bumps on the road - some up, some down. Also, it helps to recognize that the doubts and fears and demons haunting one throughout the day are not unique to you... others are suffering in silence right beside you. It is helpful to say to yourself, "I'm OK", and "I'm doing the right thing".

If the unexpected happens and you are under pressure, assess your options, do the best you can and move forward, never looking back.

“What is faith? It is believing in possibilities. It is the ability to carry on with our plans or to be true to our work even though we feel discouraged or tired. It is staying active in relationships even when we receive little in return or when our friends aren't able to respond. If there were no doubt, there would be no need for faith. Faith is temporarily putting our doubts on the shelf and working toward our goals. Faith is trusting that help and support will be there for us even though they're not in view. It is looking at a map and choosing a new destination, getting on the road to go there, and trusting the marks on the map symbolize a real place that we will find. I will leave room for my doubts and discouragement, but I will not indulge them. I will choose to go with hope. I will give my energy to the better possibilities.” Touchstones by Anonymous

Finishing at all would be considered a major accomplishment. "Races are not about winning or losing. They are about testing the limits of the human heart!' Steve Prefontaine

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company....a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the fact that people will act in certain way. Will cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude....I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you....we are in charge of our attitudes."

Circumstances + Attitude = Outcome. In other words, regardless of the Circumstances, you can change the Outcome with your Attitude. I will never forget how inspiring it was to see Randy Kadell, the wheelchair athlete, at IMUSA. He was trying to finish his fourth IM race of the year. He'd missed the cutoff by 30 seconds at New Zealand, a few minutes at Lanzarote, and Vineman. Since then, he has finished many IM races.

The key distinction is between failing and losing. Failing means getting blocked on an intended course, backing out, and restarting. Losing means persisting in your failing ways, refusing to change your current course, and instead putting significant effort into justifying the course. Worse yet, it means getting defensive whenever you are challenged about your vision. In {racing}, you can expect to fail many, many times. That's part of the deal. You get up, brush yourself off, and get back in the game. But lose just once, and you may never have another chance. That too is part of the deal. Geoffrey Moore, the Chasm Group.

Pick yourself up, take a deep breath, dust yourself off, and start all over again.
Nothings impossible I have found, for when my chin is on the ground,
I pick myself up, take a deep breath, dust myself off and start all over again.
Don't lose your confidence if you slip, be grateful for a pleasant trip.
Just pick yourself up, take a deep breath, dust yourself off, and start all over again!

Whenever you feel discouraged or depressed, begin to think of any tiny thing in your life for which you are grateful. When you focus on being grateful for such things as the ability to participate physically in triathlons, (I remember a bike accident that sidelined me for a season) your Ironmate's support, or having the financial means and freedom to train and race, anything that helped get you there-whenever you focus on true appreciation and gratitude-you are generating a higher frequency of energy. By living and taking action in a higher frequency, you are more aligned with your purpose. Remember your purpose for doing an Ironman.

For every negative thought that we think, we produce a toxic feeling. Whenever we judge, criticize, blame, or have expectations, we become helpless, hopeless, powerless victims of nothing. When we judge others we become angry, when we judge ourselves, we become guilty. The better way is to evaluate and correct. When we judge we use terms like, right/wrong, could/should, good/bad. When we evaluate a situation, we keep the judgments out and describe the situation in objective terms. Suspending judgment results in corrective action. Judgment keeps us in the problem. (Memo to self: don't take the setbacks too seriously, and especially don't project them forward). "Perfect" is the enemy of "pretty darn good."

"Remember, there are two benefits of failure: First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn't work; and second, this failure gives you an opportunity to try a new approach." Roger Von Oech

It is the struggle that defines us. This is so true and how it relates to every one of us in some way. I am as guilty as anyone, but we always look for the easy way, the comfort zone. We don't like to go beyond our own walls. It's a struggle. We must have the journey of struggle and success. Without losing, how would we know what it is like to win? Without lifting the weights, we would never get strong. Without the sad times, we would never learn to laugh. Without failure, we would never learn. We can come back from injury, failure, and bad times. I am convinced that the adversity we encounter and the struggle to live is what will define our lives. Not the possessions or awards we acquire but the journey, the battle we had to fight, the opportunities we seize, these are what makes us who we are. So the next time you start a workout and something happens that gets you off track, step back, smile, and seize the opportunity to learn. The struggle is what living is all about anyway. Alan Ley USAT coach.

Excellence is not achieved in the first step. Yet that first step must be taken if excellence is to be created. Greatness is not attained in the initial effort. Yet greatness comes only through making that first effort, and then many more. Go ahead and begin. Get started. Take the first step toward your dreams. Make the first effort to work toward greatness. You will learn a lot as you go, perfecting your approach. The important thing now is to get started and keep going. You will make mistakes. Correct them and learn from them. You'll have disappointments. Keep on going and those disappointments will serve to further motivate you. You'll come up against difficult obstacles. Find a way through them. You'll have triumphant moments. Celebrate the triumphs but don't let the celebration prevent you from moving forward. Go ahead. Get started accomplishing those things you've decided to do. Now is a great time. One step at a time, you can do it. You know you can, so go ahead and make it happen.

I consoled myself by mentally telling myself that everyone was suffering out here and not just me. Because so much of the time you're out there all alone, it's easy to think that no one has got it as bad as you and that no one could be hurting as much as you. Veterans know that this is not the case and I told myself that any progress was good progress. Speed was relative and I tried to maintain a good attitude during this stretch.

Somehow, at some point, there is a moment in the race where a major decision has to be made. There comes a time when you either face the fire or the fire consumes you. The finish line appears to be within reach and you start thinking about how good it will feel to be off the damn bike or run course and to be sleeping a lot and eating regular food. It's easy to get tempted into a sense of relaxation when in reality those final miles still have be dealt with and they are never easy. Many a meltdown has occurred in that final stretch.

Now, I had about 10km to go. This was all mental. I wanted to be done. My legs were killing me with every foot strike. I kept telling myself that the mind is the athlete and the body just does what the mind tells it. Use your mind to forget about your legs. As you can imagine, I repeated this to myself many times over the next 6 miles. …. I wasn't giving up at all, but I was in a bit of survival mode. I focused on my running form. I put myself on my long run route at home. I returned to basics and told myself to just run…. The only reason I managed that race and 6th place was because of the mental focus which my coach has engrained in my soul. Otherwise, I'd be sitting under an aid station table, sleeping in the Energy Lab. Yes, the physical training must be rigorous, but it is all mental once the physical falls apart … which it always does in the Ironman. Lisa Bentley, pro triathlete

On the marathon it becomes a battle of who will decay the least and who is the strongest mentally.

I previously thought that Ironman was more about constantly telling yourself "Am I going too hard?" and that shorter distances were more to my liking because your only thought was "Faster." For my limited intellectual and physical abilities "Faster" is easier to deal with than "Am I going too hard?" This is just the muddled thinking of someone who has never worked hard for that distance. For me, Ironman distance deserves the respect and the risk associated with going as hard as one can and taking a chance with not finishing at all while balancing the reality of the time and distances covered. It is one of the things that draws me to this sport and it was a learning experience. Bill Everett

DNF (did not finish) is an elite club - top of the hierarchy - people who have pushed themselves beyond their limits. Below this are people who always finish (they haven't risked enough), then people who give up prematurely, and then, of course, the great majority are down in DNS (did not start)status, though they may not even recognize it.

Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes. For every mountain there exists an even taller one. Buddha

Here is the best advice I ever read for the week before a race. Don't stand when you can sit don't sit when you can lie down. Rest, rest, rest. Don't leave your best race on the practice track ...save it for race day!

“Overtraining is the biggest problem incurred by runners who lack the experience or discipline to cope with their own enthusiasm.” Marty Liquori, 1970’s World-class miler

This part right here, right now, was the point in the race where I had to go beyond all the barriers, mental, emotional, and physical, that would surely start infiltrating my mind and body. I told myself I wasn't going to stop and I kept true to my word. IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME.

“Cheer on everyone you pass. Thank the aid station workers. Smile as often as you can and especially when you don't think you can. Sometime after you finish, look back over the entire race and really acknowledge what you just did. And if you don't finish, look back over that past 6 months and look at where you started and let yourself appreciate how far you've come. The only failure is a missed lesson. Good luck to you all!” Danny Dreyer, ChiRunning.

Today I will know that my purpose is divine. It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters, in the end. Why is it that when we achieve some goals, we don't feel much excitement or joy? Having a goal can sustain us with strength and purpose for long periods of time. When we finally reach our goal, we sit back and wonder what to do next. How will we occupy our time? Reaching the goal may have been hard work, yet that is what kept us going. It was the process, not the product that mattered. So, in the end, we may even feel a bit down. We remember that we have more goals on our agenda and mentally prepare to start tackling them. But before we plunge ahead, we pause to reap the rewards of achieving our milestone. We take time to acknowledge our achievement, to remember our sacrifices and hard work, to remember the joy of the process, to thank those who've helped us along the way. We celebrate. Today I will remember that rewards can sustain us as much as having goals. Karen Casanova

If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams, and endeavors to live a life, which they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. Henry David Thoreau

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go." T. S. Elliot

Guided Visualization For The Triathlon

(Begin in a relaxed state)

Breathing in, I calm my body.

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment,

I know this is a wonderful moment!

Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen master

See yourself arriving at the triathlon course…..noticing the people, the environment…..you are getting ready for the swim…..you are in your suit and goggles…..number written on your leg and arm……people milling around, engrossed in their own thoughts……listen to the sounds and feel the energy around you and within you. You do your warm-up routine……..the bike is ready, the running shoes are waiting……..let them go from your mind…..you begin to say your swimming affirmations to yourself……"I am free of fear while swimming…….I am relaxed and confident while swimming…….I am strong and fast in the swim……I enjoy pushing myself in the swimming leg…..it feels good to swim hard……I am an excellent competitor in the swim"…relax, and recall some of your personal goals for the swim.

You line up……feeling the excitement in your body…..hearing the instructions……watching the water….the horn goes off…..you run into the water and charge in feeling the coldness on your skin……people are all around you……you remain calm, swimming with the correct body position……you remind yourself to keep pushing…..you focus on your form and your stroke…..moving for a good position out of the crowd…..picking up the pace as you go…..pushing hard……feeling relaxed and ready….stroking evenly and in control. "I am a strong, smooth and powerful swimmer….." You make the halfway point….swimming hard and fast powerfully through the water….seeing the shore…..feeling yourself slicing through the water smoothly……closer and closer…..you can hear your rhythmic splashing as your arms move powerfully…..stroking….pulling….you swim harder, knowing you are almost finished…..you will soon be out of the water…..you are doing a good job….you have pushed hard all the way.

You reach the shore….run to the transition area and get into your gear as quickly as you can….you feel the pull of the material on your wet skin…you are focused and in control as you jump on your bicycle and take off…pedaling furiously…..establishing good speed…"That was fast….great job….got that done perfectly."….you settle in the bicycle rhythm, pedaling smoothly…….your hands and feet begin to warm up slowly….you are fast and smooth……you spin powerfully with your legs……pedaling hard……riding confidently next to the other bikers. You begin to think…..nice way to keep yourself going…..your cadence is good, just where you want it to be……you spin powerfully, your wheels are spinning faster….easier gears…..you feel good……leaning into hills….using control on the down-grade…..eating some bananas, drinking water, refreshing yourself with some needed carbos……feeling a little tiredness and feeling good at the same time.

Recall your affirmations and goals for the biking leg……"It is easy for me to keep spinning smoothly and quickly….I am comfortable and ride consistently at 20 MPH….my legs are strong and fast at this cadence…..I enjoy increasing my cadence during the end of the bike race." The ground seems to be flying now….you are leaving it all behind you as you come closer and closer to the finish….Thoughts of running begin to enter your mind….you notice them and then let them go as you focus on a hard sprint to the finish….

You ride over to your spot, rack your bike, and quickly put on your running shoes….completing this with speed and control…..you take off running….aaahhhh, your legs feel good, they are loose and warm and ready to go…..you begin to loosen up all over…..warming up….breathing hard and deeply….your body settles into its rhythm……you feel very good…..this is the easy part for you…..become aware of the pavement under your feet and the sound your strides make….."I run hard and with ease for the next three miles…..I am an excellent runner and this is a piece of cake.".

Recall your affirmations and goals for the run, picking up the pace. "I am a powerful runner…this is my strongest event….I enjoy this part of the race….it feels good to push myself toward the end of the race….I easily push through tiredness…..the race will be over soon and I am doing great….I have worked hard for this and I am confident of my ability and strength……keep on pushing…I accelerate easily from 3.5 to 5 miles in the 10K race….I am almost finished."…...You see the 6 mile mark up ahead….you are passing some other runners now……in complete control….you push…..surging …..passing…….accelerating…. "The last half-mile I run hard and strong….I am a fast finisher and have a good kick……..I have plenty of energy and sprint the last 400 meters…..I enjoy the last 400 meters and love sprinting at the end"……passing more runners…. taking them by surprise…….you cross the finish line….one of the first across the line…….you gasp for breath….sides heaving…….breathing hard……..tired…..exhilarated…..excited……joyful….pleased.

Feel the euphoria rising in your body….the happiness, the contentment…..you have reached your goals…..experience it all in your body….thanking your body for all it has given you today….let it all flow through your entire body….in every blood vessel and every cell….feel the pride, the confidence, the sense to accomplishment….hear the crowd…your friends and those you don't know…..experience it all. " I am an excellent triathlete."

Let the vision slip away….inhale….exhale….inhale…..exhale….feel your body where you are…experience again the feelings of completion, happiness and contentment from doing your best triathlon.

Reprinted from The Mental Athlete by permission. For more information on mental training, call Kay Porter, Ph.D. (541) 342-6875, or write, Porter Performance Systems, P.O. Box 5584, Eugene, Oregon, 97405.

Mind Tools: Goal setting, imagery, focus, building self confidence and achieving excellence.

Mind Training for Swimmers: To subscribe to this weekly tip, simply email with the following in the subject field: "swim tips - subscribe" Archives of tips. Addresses many race day mental challenges. One of my favorites,

Thinking Body, Dancing Mind by Chungliang Al Huang and Jerry Lynch
Co-written by a t’ai chi master and a sports psychologist, this unconventional work offers a refreshing take on the mental side of sport, business and life.

Body Mind Mastery : Creating Success in Sport and Life. Dan Millman

Thought of the Day: Many of these are gems, brought to you by the Cybermonks. Great way to spend a moment before you disconnect. Hazelden will deliver an inspirational email meditation to you daily.

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